The present invention relates to a driving and guiding apparatus for a horizontally pivoted wing. Horizontally pivoted doors are already known, e.g. for garages, which are laterally guided along vertical lateral guides and are counterweighed by means of lateral cables turning around a respective pully and loaded with a weight or by a spring. The lifting and lowering (opening and shutting) of such doors occurs by means of articulated rods having one end linked to one side of the wing and the other end pivoted to a fixed bracket projecting from the lintel of the opening in which the horizontally pivoted door is mounted, such a bracket also bearing a pully around which one of the cables turns. Thus, such a horizontally pivoted door is restrained at both sides downwards by the lateral guides, upwards by the articulated rods and in intermediate positions by the counterweighed cables.
It has already been suggested (see for example the Italian patent application No. 47528 A/77 in the name of H. J. VOGT) to provide a motor-driven drum at the centre of the lintel for the winding-unwinding of a band or belt having its free end secured to the internal surface of the door to assist said door during its closing phase. Between the winding drum and the motor a joint or coupling friction is provided which allows the belt or band to be freely or idly unwound and wound by the motor for automatically shutting the wing.
Such a solution, however, is not satisfactory as it does not allow the wing being assisted and thus controlled during the opening phase. Furthermore, particularly when the wing has a considerable width, mere pulling the wing into its closed position by means of a band acting at an intermediate position of the wing does not guarantee full lifting of the wing. This can, for example, prevent a vehicle from passing under the wing, especially if the vehicle can enter the garage only if the wing is fully opened.